Chess Notation Explained
Chess notation is a short, precise way of writing down moves so a game can be recorded, replayed, studied, or shared. Once you know the handful of symbols on this page, you can read any chess book, follow a broadcast game move by move, or write down your own games in a tournament.
Why bother learning notation?
Notation isn't just for professionals. It's how openings are named and studied, how chess books and websites show example games, and how correspondence and online chess record moves. Most over-the-board tournaments also require players to write down their own moves on a scoresheet as the game is played — so if you plan to play competitively, notation is a rule requirement, not an optional extra.
The coordinate system: naming every square
Algebraic notation works because every square on the board has a unique name, made from a letter and a number. Files (the vertical columns) are lettered a to h from left to right as White sits at the board. Ranks (the horizontal rows) are numbered 1 to 8 from bottom to top, again from White's side. A square's name is simply its file letter followed by its rank number — for example e4 is the square on the e-file, fourth rank up from White's side.
Piece letters
Every piece except the pawn is represented by a capital letter, written before the destination square:
| Piece | Letter |
|---|---|
| King | K |
| Queen | Q |
| Rook | R |
| Bishop | B |
| Knight | N |
| Pawn | (no letter) |
The knight uses N rather than K, since K is already taken by the king. Pawns are written with no letter at all — just their destination square, for example e4 means "pawn moves to e4".
Basic moves
A basic move is written as the piece letter followed by the square it moves to. Nf3 means "knight moves to f3". Bc4 means "bishop moves to c4". A pawn move is written with the destination square alone, as above.
Captures
An "x" is inserted before the destination square to show a capture. Bxf7 means "bishop captures on f7". For pawn captures, the letter written is the file the pawn started on, not a piece letter — so exd5 means "pawn on the e-file captures on d5".
Castling
Castling has its own special notation, regardless of which rook is involved:
0-0— kingside castling (also called "short castling")0-0-0— queenside castling (also called "long castling")
Check and checkmate
A + after a move means it delivers check, e.g. Qh5+. A # means the move delivers checkmate, e.g. Qxf7#.
Pawn promotion
When a pawn reaches the far rank and promotes, an = sign followed by the new piece's letter is added after the destination square. e8=Q means "pawn moves to e8 and promotes to a queen".
En passant
An en passant capture is written exactly like any other pawn capture — the destination square already makes the move unambiguous, since it's a square the capturing pawn wouldn't otherwise be able to reach. Some scoresheets and books add "e.p." after the move as a note, e.g. exd6 e.p., but modern notation usually leaves it out entirely.
Disambiguation
Sometimes two identical pieces could both legally move to the same square. When that happens, the file or rank the piece started on is added to the piece letter to make clear which one moved. Nbd2 means "the knight on the b-file moves to d2" (as opposed to a knight on another file that could also reach d2). N1d2 means "the knight on rank 1 moves to d2", used when the file alone wouldn't be enough to tell the pieces apart.
Move quality symbols
These aren't part of official notation, but they're used constantly in annotated games and chess books to comment on a move's quality:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ! | Good move |
| !! | Brilliant move |
| ? | Mistake |
| ?? | Blunder |
| !? | Interesting move, worth considering |
| ?! | Dubious move, probably not best |
A worked example
Here are the opening moves of a real game, written out in full algebraic notation:
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5
Reading this move by move: 1.e4 — White pushes the e-pawn to e4. e5 — Black replies with the same pawn push on the other side. 2.Nf3 — White develops the king's knight to f3, attacking Black's e5 pawn. Nc6 — Black develops a knight to c6 to defend it. 3.Bb5 — White brings the bishop out to b5, pinning Black's knight to the king. This exact sequence is the start of the Ruy Lopez, one of the oldest and most respected openings in chess — see Chess Openings for more on how openings like this one work and why they're played.
PGN: storing whole games
Once you can read individual moves, it's worth knowing about PGN (Portable Game Notation) — the standard file format used by chess software and websites to store complete games as a plain-text sequence of algebraic moves, along with details like the players' names, the event and the result. If you ever download or export a game from a chess site, it will almost always be as a PGN file.
New to the game? Start with How to Play Chess for the rules, then see these notation symbols in action in real openings on the Chess Openings page. Unfamiliar with a term used here? Check the Chess Glossary.
Frequently asked questions
What does "x" mean in chess notation?
It means a capture. For example, Bxf7 means a bishop captures a piece on f7, and exd5 means a pawn on the e-file captures on d5.
What's the difference between 0-0 and 0-0-0?
0-0 is kingside (short) castling, where the king moves two squares toward the h-file rook. 0-0-0 is queenside (long) castling, where the king moves two squares toward the a-file rook.
What does PGN stand for?
PGN stands for Portable Game Notation, the standard plain-text file format chess software uses to store complete games as a sequence of algebraic moves.
Why is the knight written as N and not K?
Because K is already used for the king. To avoid confusion, the knight is given the letter N instead.